I am fascinated with the process required to produce diamonds. Diamonds start out as inconsequential lumps of carbon deep within the earth and through dynamic forces and extreme pressure, a brilliant gem is formed. What was once hidden, unlovely material deep in the earth is turned into a valuable stone, one of the hardest substances in the world.

The connections between diamonds and our spiritual development are too big to miss. Are we not shaped and formed in the same fashion? We start out as rough, unlovely material and God with loving, yet firm hands shapes us using the Holy Spirit, trials, and the pressures of this life.

We are transformed into people of substance, people of value, people that are made to withstand the scratches life leaves on us.

Diamonds have been highly valued in cultures for millenniums, but I wonder if we miss the fact that diamonds did not start out as diamonds. You don’t get to enjoy the brilliance, the shine without the heat, the pressure, the trials.

If you are feeling the heat and the pressure have been turned up in your corner of the world, take heart. You are undergoing the same process required to form a diamond.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4